Dream Lover (1993)

Director:

Nicholas Kazan

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas Kazan (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you think you know your lover. Think again. Especially if she's your wife.

Plot:

Ray is young, charming, successful and the owner of a prosperous architect company. However, he has recently gone trough a very painful divorce...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Divorce | Architect | Suspicion | Deception

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Spader	...	Ray Reardon
Mädchen Amick	...	Lena Mathers
Fredric Lehne	...	Larry
Bess Armstrong	...	Elaine
Larry Miller	...	Norman
Kathleen York	...	Martha
Kate Williamson	...	Mrs. Sneeder
Tom Lillard	...	Hank Sneeder
William Shockley	...	Buddy
Carl Sundstrom	...	Officer
Irwin Keyes	...	Officer
Joel McKinnon Miller	...	Minister
Joseph Scoren	...	Martha's Lawyer (as Joseph Scorsiani)
Archie Lang	...	Judge #1
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Judge Kurita

Runtime:

103 min | 108 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Edward R. Pressman Film

Quotes:

Ray: [showing photos] Do you know her?
Buddy: Sissy. Hope she's nothin' to you.
Ray: She's my wife.
Buddy: Figures. Did she run off and leave you?
Ray: No.
Buddy: Well, give it time.
Ray: Is that what she did to you?
Buddy: She did things to me I can't even pronounce.

Soundtrack:

JUST YOU

A wonderful, overlooked suspense film

It's too bad that bigger budget Hollywood fare often obscures movies that are far better such as this. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this film as I'd not heard much about it, but was totally captivated by it.

The performances from James Spader and the achingly beautiful Mädchen Amick are first rate, and the script is flawless. A lot of the plot feels like a rehash of Hitchcock, but it's done incredibly well, and hey, if you're going to steal from someone, might as well steal from the best.

The twists and turns really work, and take the viewer along for the ride as well. You'll find your own mind working along with the script, trying to unravel the mystery.

It's a shame this film didn't receive more publicity, as all the elements are there for this to have been a real hit. Instead, it remains one of my favorite little gems of a film... one of those that few people know about, but when they see it they think it's a great film as well.

An added bonus is that the home video version contains a few minutes of extra "steamy" scenes that were cut from theaters.

I think this film is an underappreciated modern-day classic, and I urge everyone to check it out.